CHERRY HILL - They had their popcorn and drinks, and the 100 or so Camden teens settled anxiously into their seats to watch the most buzzed-about movie of the year so far.

"I'm really excited to see an action movie with an African-American man have such a big part of it," said Erica Hood as she sipped on a soft drink and waited for "Black Panther" to begin, one day before its wide theatrical release Friday.

Crate Morris, with four friends and a chaperone from Urban Promise's East Camden after school program, said he'd already read some of the Marvel comics created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at the height of the Civil Rights movement.

"Black Panther is a great hero; I'm really glad they made a movie about him," said the 15-year-old as he and his friends waited in the lobby of the AMC Loews theater in Cherry Hill.

Reclining in the back row, Ivan Stevens sat through a seemingly endless succession of trailers, including for superhero movies "Venom," "Deadpool 2" and "Ant-Man and The Wasp" — all starring white actors portraying white superheroes.

"I heard this was the first movie with an African-American superhero," said Stevens, 16, admitting he preferred DC Comics to Marvel. "This is Black History Month and I'm really glad they had this come out now."

"What I like about taking them to this (movie) is, it's a big deal for them to see a character who reflects what they look like," said Marcus Bell, a program director with Urban Promise. "He's like every other superhero, with the same moral agenda, but he's a person of color."

The teens were among about 100 students who were treated to an advance screening of the movie thanks to Campbell Soup Company's Black Resource Group. They got popcorn and drinks, "swag bags" with T-shirts and soup cans (of course), and "red carpet" treatment, with photographers snapping photos of them in front of giant "Black Panther" displays.

The film, about an African king who's granted super powers thanks to a rare element available only in his remote nation, has garnered considerable buzz for its messages of black empowerment and social justice.

Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa in "Black Panther."(Photo: Marvel)

"The characters are smart, and they come from a technologically advanced society," said Diana Haussling, a Campbell Soup executive and member of the Black Resource Group. "That's amazing to me. I have a young son, and (a film like 'Black Panther') can help me invest in his self-confidence, and sharpen his ability to dream big without seeing barriers."

Kim Fortunato, Campbell Soup's director of community affairs, said the Camden-based company takes seriously the relationship with the city it's called home for 149 years.

"Giving kids here experiences they might not otherwise have, whether it's a movie screening or a field trip outside Camden or within it, that's part of our duty as citizens of Camden," she said.

"Highlighting success stories — for people of all backgrounds — reinforces the notion that any of us can succeed," she continued. "Kids in Camden don't always see positive portrayals of people like them, and maybe that makes it hard for them to see a way out of their circumstances."

"Black Panther," she noted, showcases black characters in leadership roles, acting with moral purpose and confidence in their abilities.

Attendees are seen reflected in a 'Black Panther' poster as they file into AMC Loews for a screening of the film organized by Campbell Soup Company's Black Resource Group Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 in Cherry Hill, N.J. (Photo: Joe Lamberti/Courier Post)

Groups from all over Camden take their seats for special screening of 'Black Panther' as part of an event organized by Campbell Soup Company's Black Resource Group Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 at AMC Loews in Cherry Hill, N.J. (Photo: Joe Lamberti/Courier Post)

Students walk past a 'Black Panther' poster as a special screening is set to begin as part of an event organized by Campbell Soup Company's Black Resource Group Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 at AMC Loews in Cherry Hill, N.J. (Photo: Joe Lamberti/Courier Post)

Students head into a theater for a special screening of 'Black Panther' as part of an event organized by Campbell Soup Company's Black Resource Group Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 at AMC Loews in Cherry Hill, N.J. (Photo: Joe Lamberti/Courier Post)

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"What so many people call 'black history' is really American history," Haussling said. "We wanted to get the kids engaged in a story that's about people like them, and give them pride in their people and their background."

The film, starring an almost-exclusively black cast led by a black director, takes place primarily in a futuristic nation called Wakanda, where a technologically advanced society hides its sophistication from the world in the name of preserving its identity. Outside forces, though, plot to rob Wakanda of its most precious resources and dramatically alter its way of life.

There are family secrets and betrayals among friends. Car chases and hand-to-hand combat. Stunning landscapes and special effects that elicited audible gasps from the teens, and banter between characters that made them laugh aloud.

But the movie also had layers from which their mentors might be able to draw teachable themes: issues of colonization and exploitation, questions about black identity in Africa versus America, and whether it's more important to offer aid to those who need it or to turn inward to protect one's own way of life.

The teens, who came from Urban Promise, the Camden High School ROTC, Women of the Dream and other city schools, picked up on many of those themes.

"It was amazing!" said Stevens as the house lights came on.

"I loved it!" said Hood. "The female characters were very strong; they never gave up and fought for their country and what they believed in."

Director Ryan Coogler, left, and Chadwick Boseman (T'Challa/Black Panther) on the set of "Black Panther."(Photo: Courtesy of Matt Kennedy/Marvel Studios)

"It was great!" said Crate Morris outside the theater. "It was action-packed and there was everything in it."

Leslie Morris, a co-founder of Women of the Dream, joked that she originally thought the film was about the Black Panther movement of the 1960s. "I'm probably dating myself when I say that, but I just couldn't figure out why all these kids were so excited to see the movie."

Her nonprofit, which she co-founded with Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison, offers mentorships to young girls in Camden. The message of the movie — and its cohort of strong female warriors — resonated with her and the handful of girls who joined her.

"The movie was very, very powerful for young women like me," said Samira Nesmith.

Students walk past a 'Black Panther' poster as a special screening is set to begin as part of an event organized by Campbell Soup Company's Black Resource Group Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 at AMC Loews in Cherry Hill, N.J.(Photo: Joe Lamberti/Courier Post)

The 15-year-old said she was inspired by the women who surrounded T'Challa, the Black Panther of the title and king of Wakanda. His sister invents all of his high-tech gear; he's surrounded by an army of woman warriors; he's challenged to be a better king by the woman he loves; and his mother, played by Angela Bassett, is the queen mother who reminds him of his father's legacy and his own strength.

"We can take this as an example of coming together as different cultures and ethnicities instead of fighting all the time," she said.

"That's the message we want them to take from this: that blacks were empowered, that the women were empowered," said Leslie Morris. "That's the message we're trying to convey to them: They are empowered, and they have to use that power to give back to others."